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With more than 8,000 members, the Greater Cleveland Partnership is one of the largest metropolitan chambers of commerce in the country. Learn about our work to advance economic development and improve the business climate in our city, region and state.

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Every Monday -- News from GCP

August 7th, 2017

Job Creation Tax Credit can apply to employees who work
from home

When Governor Kasich signed the state budget bill into law, it included an important provision that would allow eligible employers applying for the Job Creation Tax Credit to count qualifying work from home employees in their job creation totals.

This additional discretion granted to the Ohio Tax Credit Authority allows the tax credit to stay current with growing trends in the workforce, where more employees are working from home or have a job that allows them to telecommute at least 50 percent of the time.

This creates benefits for the employer and employees by reducing costs, improving work/home life balance, and reducing traffic congestion.

The provision also ensures that the benefit of an employer expanding in or locating in the state still has an advantage for Ohio by specifying that the new employees must reside here. This adds to the state’s tax base and creates new job opportunities for Ohioans.

The Greater Cleveland Partnership championed the inclusion of this provision in the state budget bill, as well as stand-alone legislation sponsored by Senator Matt Dolan and Representatives Tom Patton and Sarah LaTourette.

“We are pleased that the final budget bill included this important update to the Job Creation Tax Credit,” says Deb Janik, the GCP’s senior vice president of real estate and business development.

“The Job Creation Tax Credit has been an effective program used by many of the companies that GCP supports. This additional provision will help our companies create more jobs and leverage economic growth goals for the region.”

The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee announced last week that Cleveland’s hosting of the 2016 Republican National Convention resulted in up to $188.4 million of economic benefit to a seven-county region (Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Lorain, Summit, Medina, and Erie) according to Tourism Economics, the national leader in event impact analysis.

Additionally, the jobs and labor income generated by the city’s hosting of the convention were significant with 1,324 FTE positions created on an annualized basis through the hosting, translating to $61.1 million in income for area residents.

The economic activity associated with the RNC also produced $10.2 million in state and local tax revenue for the seven-county region, putting dollars into the budgets of cities and counties to fund resident programs and services.

Long-term outcomes

On last Friday’s “Wills and Snyder” program, GCP President and CEO Joe Roman talked about the positive long-term outcomes of the event that included changing the narrative about Cleveland and demonstrating that the city can successfully host a convention of any size.

He also noted that the major objective going forward is to leverage that success.

“Pass the Plus” is a Cleveland Plus/Team NEO free monthly e-newsletter that provides informative news and information related to the many positive developments shaping Northeast Ohio.

Click to subscribe and start sharing our region’s good news with your networks of colleagues, friends and family.

Cleveland Plus and Team NEO are part of the regional economic development system that the Greater Cleveland Partnership helped to create and continues to support.

Help “test drive” Ohio Business Gateway’s modernization project

The Ohio Business Gateway offers Ohio companies an online filing and payment system that aims to simplify their relationship with government agencies.

Businesses can use the Gateway to access various services and electronically submit transactions with many state agencies.

The Gateway also works with local governments to enable businesses to file and pay selected Ohio municipal income taxes. Please note that companies must be registered with a service partner before using the Gateway. Selected service partner registrations are available through the Gateway.

Get involved and help build Cleveland’s talent pipeline

From talking and listening to our members of all sizes from all across the region, we know that their single biggest issue of concern is talent.

Educational attainment, a focus on skills development, and improving the level of talent within the workplace are key areas of opportunity for business community involvement.

One way for direct involvement—right now—is for our member companies to offer True2U—a career awareness and mentoring program for Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) eighth-graders—as an opportunity for your employees to volunteer as mentors for the 2017-2018 school year.

Starting in October, they will work with eighth-grade students to create career awareness and goals for success on a monthly basis. The program uses a unique advisory model in which small groups of students are led by a team of two to three mentors and supported by a CMSD teacher.

Why participate?

As you know, the business community is an essential component in efforts to prepare our youth to be successful as adults in tomorrow’s workplace.

One part of the solution to the challenge of attracting and retaining talent lies in early exposure to career pathways and helping students make decisions that best position them for lifetime success.

Our goal: To connect with all CMSD eighth-graders

More than 150 business volunteers recruited by the GCP joined mentors from the wider community in serving approximately 1,700 youth in 44 Cleveland schools during the 2016-2017 school year.

During the 2017-18 school year, True2U’s goal is to serve approximately 2,500 students in 68 schools—every enrolled CMSD eighth-grader—to help prepare them for the transition from middle school to high school.

True2U is the shared vision of community leaders from the Cleveland Foundation, MyCom, the CMSD, Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Greater Cleveland Faith-Based Collaborative, Inc., and the GCP, the lead business partner.

Each school concentrates on career pathways from a variety of industries that drive economic growth in our community.

We are inviting Greater Cleveland Partnership members to provide industry expertise and interactive, career-exposure experiences for Academies of Cleveland students at Ninth Grade Career Experience Fairs, on Thursday, September 14 from 9 to 11 a.m.

Each school will have its own fair. Exhibitors will be matched with the high school that fits their industry.

The Ninth Grade Career Experience Fairs will provide an avenue for all Academies of Cleveland high school freshmen to explore a breadth of career areas in order to better make informed decisions about their future career path.

We are inviting local companies, businesses intermediaries and industry associations to participate in the fairs by setting up creative, unique and interactive exhibits representing their industry. We are recruiting representatives from the following industries to exhibit at these high schools:

Garrett Morgan

Biomedical Science

Engineering

Jane Addams

Culinary Arts

Finance

Hospitality

Marketing

Martin Luther King Jr.

Exercise Science and Sports Medicine

Healthcare

Law and Public Safety

Washington Park

Animal Science and Management

Horticulture & Landscape Design

Industrial Power Technology

Max S. Hayes

Automotive Technology

Construction Technology

Diesel Technology

Manufacturing

If you are interested in participating in the Career Experience Fairs please contact Angela Finding at afinding@gcpartnership.com or 216.592.2385 to sign up or receive further information.

The business community is an essential component to ensuring we are preparing our youth for career opportunities in in-demand industries experiencing a shortage of talent.

Your participation in the Career Experience Fairs and other Academies of Cleveland business engagement opportunities also ensures that young people are prepared to learn for a lifetime, thrive in tomorrow’s dynamic workplaces, and contribute to Cleveland’s economic and civic prosperity.

Amplify your ambition at JumpStart’s “Startup Scaleup”

Whether you’re looking to launch your first venture or grow an established company, JumpStart’s “Startup Scapeup” event on Tuesday, August 15 has something for you.

Register now for a full day of learning, networking and storytelling in the Gordon Square Arts District—for only $20!

Here are a few of this year’s agenda highlights:

The Art of the Exit: Featuring Former Yelp CFO Rob Krolik: Whether there’s an IPO or an acquisition in your company’s future, get an insiders perspective on getting to the exit from the CFO who helped take Yelp public in 2012.

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Greater Cleveland Partnership

Our Mission

The Greater Cleveland Partnership mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create attractive business conditions that create jobs, grow investment and improve the economic prosperity of the region.